Boutoku no Naruto
by Thanathos
Summary: We all know that Naruto is famous for his use of the Kage Bunshin, the jutsu he learned from the Forbidden Scroll. But what if things had been different? What if Naruto had chosen a different jutsu to learn, a darker one? What would happen then?
1. A small Change

Boutoku no Naruto

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

As a wise man once said, history hinges on small moments, and the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane. Some changes are subtle, some are obvious, and some lie in between. Of course, the reverse is also true, and some actions, whether taken or not, can have absolutely no effect on the way things run. For example, whether or not the Sandaime Hokage would have Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune guarded by ANBU or simply give out draconian punishments absolutely didn't matter, as after a few years people would stop trying to use physical force either way, and simply hurt the child with behavior rather than action, spare the occasional drunk.

So while the carefully considered decision of a wise man in a very important position, whatever it may have been, was absolutely meaningless, it may appear somewhat ironic that the decision of a child made on a whim can lead to such a great change in the course of events. But, such is life.

-0-

Naruto grinned. He had just taken the scroll Mizuki told him to, knocking out jiji with a technique he originally invented as a joke, but found very useful against perverts, the male ones anyways. Now all he had to do was learn one technique from the scroll, and he'd be a genin. This was so much easier than the stupid _Bunshin no Jutsu_.

Or so he thought, until he opened the scroll. He groaned. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_? I can't even do the regular one!" Of course, Naruto was not one for giving up, and he would do the stupid technique until he mastered it! Just as he was about to start learning the jutsu that according to fate's design was to become his signature-move, Naruto proved why he was called unpredictable, as he looked at the scroll again.

"Wait, Mizuki-sensei said one technique, and the scroll is pretty big. Let's see if there's something easier in there." Naruto wasn't a quitter, but even Iruka-sensei, who was the nicest of the teachers, had noted that perhaps Naruto simply didn't have a talent for clone-techniques, and would do better with other ones, as he for example was a master at the _Henge_.

So Naruto opened the scroll further, looking for something that appealed to him. And just as he was about to give up and learn the _Kage Bunshin_, he found one that was different from all others.

"Hey, someone scribbled on the scroll! I hope they don't blame it on me." Naruto muttered to himself, before realizing that whoever had done this hadn't simply scribbled, but seemingly corrected and improved. Really, a technique that someone had actually put so much effort into had to be good. And it apparently wasn't a very complicated one either, as there were next to no handsigns involved. Reading over the instructions, it was not a simple jutsu, but rather one that was activated with a sealing-array and a single handsign.

While jiji had once told him that sealing was a really difficult art, looking over the instructions it looked really simple to Naruto. All he needed was a blank scroll, something he usually carried around with him to be able to quickly write down any ideas for pranks that he might get, and to copy them down. Of course, that was only the basic condition, but the scroll said that the rest was pretty much automatic, and all one needed were the two ingredients. Surely just knowing it would count as having learned it, right?

So Naruto started to copy the seal, and finding it surprisingly easy, copied down everything else that was written about that technique in a different scroll, both the original notes and all the stuff that someone had added before making a second, though technically it was the third, scroll with the original version in it. Then he rolled the scroll back up, carefully reread everything, and tried to memorize the sealing-arrays.

-0-

Iruka was in a panic. What on earth had ridden Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll? Half the village was on their feet looking for him, and Iruka had little doubt that if they found him first, Naruto would be in a lot more than simple trouble. A good number of them would use lethal force, and as big of a troublemaker as Naruto was, the boy was neither deserving nor prepared to receive such a punishment. Also, Naruto was not the type to go traitor. This was probably all just a stupid prank the boy had come up with.

Of course, the boy was also very good at hiding, so the odds that he would be found immediately was slim to none. So what Iruka had to do was stop running around like a headless chicken, but use his head. That had been the way he always caught the blond, after all. 'Stop thinking like a shinobi, and remember your days as a prankster. Naruto probably thinks this a joke, so he won't be too far away from Konoha. Now, if I took something and wanted to lay low for a while while all others run around looking, and keep them looking for a while, where would I go?'

A number of locations came to mind, all depending on whether Naruto wanted to watch the chaos, or just hide. Knowing Naruto, the former was more likely, so he'd go down his mental list from the spot with the greatest view over the village to the most hidden location.

Unseen to Iruka, another man was hot on his tail. Mizuki, who had spent nearly an hour for cursing himself for being stupid enough to not designate a spot for Naruto to hand the scroll over, had decided that since Iruka seemed to have a magical gift for finding the blond brat, he'd simply tail the chunin-instructor, letting his old friend lead him to his target. The plan had to be altered slightly, but it was still well on track. He cracked a grin. Soon he would deliver the forbidden scroll to Orochimaru-sama, and be rewarded greatly for his service.

-0-

Naruto grinned. It wasn't quite as much as he thought he'd be able to do, but he managed to more or less memorize the modified version, the array for some reason easily taking hold in his mind. He was still a bit shaky on the original array, but a few more minutes should have him memorize both.

A rustling was heard, and Iruka landed in front of Naruto. The blond boy jumped up. "Ha Iruka-sensei, I found you!" He called out.

Iruka's brow twitched. "I found you, idiot!" He called out, preparing to chew the boy out, when Naruto grinned.

"Sensei, I learned one jutsu from the scroll, I even memorized the array, do I pass?"

Iruka blinked. Jutsu? Array? What was the boy talking about? "Naruto, what do you mean?"

Naruto blinked. "Huh? The hidden genin-exam of course. Mizuki-sensei said that if I learned a technique from the scroll, I'd be a genin."

Iruka blinked. Why would Mizuki tell such nonsense? Unless... His eyes widened at the sound of steel cutting the air. There was too little time, either he dodged, or...

Without thinking, Iruka pushed Naruto aside, taking multiple kunai in the boy's stead.

Mizuki appeared, grinning. "Good job, you managed to find him. I knew I could count on you, Iruka. Now Naruto, give me that scroll."

Iruka pulled one of the blades out of his flesh. "Naruto don't! That scroll holds forbidden jutsu sealed away by the Hokages! He mustn't get it!"

Mizuki's face twitched, before an evil smile spread on it. "Hey Naruto, want me to tell you why everyone hates you?"

Naruto blinked. "Why they hate me?" He had asked himself that question countless times.

Iruka's eyes widened. "No Mizuki, that's forbidden!"

Mizuki laughed. "Twelve years ago, the Kyuubi attacked. At that time, a law was made."

Naruto blinked. "A law?"

Mizuki nodded. "Yes. A law that said that nobody was allowed to reveal that Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Other words were spoken, but Naruto didn't hear them. His eyes were wide, and he felt oddly detached from the world. He, the Kyuubi? Suddenly the glares and the mutterings, they all made sense. But wait, what about the thing jiji had given him, Naruto's greatest treasure? Was that a lie too?

He only woke from his shock when he saw Iruka above him, one of Mizuki's giant shuriken imbedded in his back. The man tried to comfort him, he cried for him, he knew how loneliness felt. He said run, and Naruto ran.

-0-

Naruto sat behind a tree. He had just witnessed Iruka tricking Mizuki, and said man was pissed. "Why do you struggle, you can't win! Naruto is just like me, with the scroll, we could finally do whatever we want!"

"Yes," Iruka replied, and Naruto felt his darkest fears confirmed, before Iruka continued "that's what the fox would do. But Naruto's not the fox. He's one of my excellent students."

Naruto felt tears run down his face. Finally, there was someone that acknowledged him.

Mizuki growled. "Originally I planned to leave you live for a while longer, as a tribute to our friendship, but I just changed my mind. Die!" He charged at the downed teacher, his giant shuriken spinning like a buzz-saw.

Suddenly he was knocked away, sent flying by an orange blur. "Don't touch Iruka-sensei, or I'll kill you!"

Mizuki spat out a bit of blood. "Try it, demon!" He called, before throwing a kunai at Naruto.

The blond tilted his head, letting the blade fly by, only spin in shock when he heard steel piercing flesh. The kunai had hit Iruka in the arm. "What's wrong?" The white-haired traitor mocked. "I thought you were going to kill me now?"

Naruto rushed at him, Mizuki preparing to give him a single devastating blow, when Naruto did something unexpected.

Instead of simply rushing at Mizuki, Naruto kicked the dirt before him, throwing dust into his eyes. The fact that Mizuki had lowered his body slightly to be able to better counter the child's attack made the attack even more effective, as the blinded man stumbled back, blindly lashing out in front of him.

Naruto pulled out two kunai, ducked under the blows, jumped low, flying through Mizuki's legs, and rammed the blades into the back of Mizuki's knees.

The traitor screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground, his legs too damaged to carry him. Panting heavily, Mizuki glared at Naruto. "For this, demon-brat, I'm going to kill you slowly." he spat out as he pulled the knives out of his legs, blindly throwing them away.

Naruto gave him a cold look. "You won't have the chance." His hands shot out, the left one pulling out a scroll, though a smaller one than the forbidden scroll, spreading it across the ground, while his right hand slipped into his jacket, pulling something out of a hidden pocket over his heart.

One of Naruto's weaknesses was that since nobody was there to teach him common values, there were certain things that Naruto didn't fully comprehend. Aside of a certain uncertainty of how to act in public, that particularly involved his morals. Since nobody taught him right and wrong, all he had to go on was descriptions and stories of certain actions and how the people reacted to it. So while he had worked out that murder, hurting innocent people, and treason were wrong, and was by nature the type to believe in the good in people, all he had heard had always said that there were truly evil people, and that such people had to die. Which was why he didn't hesitate about using his newest technique on Mizuki, and why he had even learned it.

What Naruto pulled out of his pocket was his greatest treasure, more valuable to him than his life. Jiji had given it to him when he had been thrown out of the orphanage, after explaining Naruto that he had been orphaned in the Kyuubi-attack.

-0-

_Flashback_

"Jiji, who were my parents?" A six-year-old Naruto asked.

Sarutobi sighed. "They were good people Naruto, and they loved you very much, never doubt that. But they died in the Kyuubi-attack, protecting you and the entire village from the demon's wrath."

"So they were shinobi?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. Very good ones. They were very strong, which sadly also means they made many enemies. Naruto, the reason I can't tell you their names is because the fewer people know, the less the chance that any of those enemies finds out and tries to kill you in vengeance."

Naruto blinked. That jiji knew his parents' names, but didn't tell him hurt more than he could have imagined. "Jiji, is there really... nothing I can have of them?"

Sarutobi knew how much the boy craved family, and how much his decline would hurt him. Then he remembered something. "Actually, there just might." He began digging through different shelves, before pulling out a small box, handing it to Naruto.

When the boy opened it, he found a lock of red hair. "What's this jiji?"

Sarutobi smiled. "That Naruto, is a lock of your mother's hair. Well, considering her hair was straight, lock might not be a completely fitting term, but it gets the message across."

Naruto looked at the hair, carefully stroking it like it could crumble to dust if he wasn't careful. "My... mother's..." He hugged it close to his chest, tears in his eyes. "Thanks jiji. I promise, that I'll be a even better shinobi than my parents, so that they can be proud of me!"

Sarutobi smiled as he watched the boy run off. "I'm sure they're already very proud of you, Naruto." he muttered to himself.

_End of Flashback_

-0-

'I really hope that jiji told the truth.' Naruto thought as he slammed the red hairs on the seal and made a single handsign. He felt his chakra draining slowly as seals spread over the ground, surrounding the completely baffled Mizuki.

"What are you doing?" The traitor demanded, before something that slightly resembled ashes and dust rose, clinging to his body. He screamed in anguish as it consumed him, leaving a different figure laying in the center of the seals.

-0-

The Sandaime Hokage had observed the last few minutes through his crystal-orb with growing worry. That Naruto would have taken the scroll for himself the old man believed impossible, as if the boy had really wanted to turn traitor, he wouldn't have spared the Hokage after going through the trouble of knocking him out. So using his orb he had found Naruto, seemingly trying to memorize something. It was actually kind of funny to see the boy's face scrunched up in concentration like that.

Then he had witnessed the arrival of Iruka and Mizuki, and how latter broke the law. Small as the chance was, the emotional instability could weaken the seal, and while the fox could not escape, it might be able to possess Naruto's body.

His chest had swelled with pride when Iruka proclaimed Naruto his excellent student, and even more when Naruto brilliantly incapacitated a chunin-level opponent. For this alone, Sarutobi could justify a promotion to genin, especially if one considered that the reason that Naruto had failed was due to the fact that he simply had too much chakra for a jutsu as weak as the _bunshin_, and would likely do great once his teacher gave him a better clone-technique.

Then, from one moment to the next, he groaned in almost physical pain as he saw what Naruto did. "Oh Naruto," he muttered to himself "of all the jutsu in the scroll, why did you have to learn that one?"

-0-

Naruto grinned, only slightly winded from the exercise. "_Edo Tensei_, success." He muttered, before looking at the figure that he had summoned. Now the truth would be revealed, and Naruto prayed with all his heart that jiji had told the truth.

A moan pulled Naruto's concentration back to current events. "Ohh... where am I?" An obviously female voice asked, as the figure, still a bit disoriented, rose to her feet. It was a woman with long red hair. Her skin was a bit pale, and there were what looked like cracks on a few spots of her skin, but she was very pretty.

Naruto gulped. He knew that the next seconds could break his heart, and was honestly afraid of what would happen. Was this really his mother? If so, did she really love him as much as jiji said, or had the old man simply wanted to comfort him? "M-m-mom?" He asked, his voice trembling.

Iruka's eyes widened as he heard Naruto's word. That was impossible! There was no way... his eyes landed on the forbidden scroll on Naruto's back. 'Naruto,' he asked himself 'just what did you do?'

The woman turned around and looked at him, confused. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Naruto?"

* * *

First chapter is done, just in time for the holidays. It just popped up in my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. I always read those stories where the oddest things are in the scroll, from common jutsu over legendary weapons to xenomorph-eggs, and while some of those are really great, I wanted to write a slightly more realistic one. I'm actually kinda surprised that as far as I've seen, nobody else ever thought of it.

The _Edo Tensei_ was invented by the Nidaime Hokage, and it consists of seals, so in my opinion it is more than likely that it is in the forbidden scroll. Orochimaru has to have learned it from somewhere, right? I know that the odds of him actually writing his own improvements and variations into the scroll are slim, but in my story, he worked on it not with the intent to use it like Kabuto does, but as a way to get a better understanding of life and death for his immortality-technique, and at the time he worked on the _Edo Tensei_, he was still more or less loyal to the leaf, and basically wanted to leave proof that he had managed to make a better version of something than a Hokage, never mind that the Nidaime developed it from scratch.

So yes, instead of the _Kage Bunshin_, Naruto's signature-move will be the _Edo Tensei_. For obvious reasons, it won't be used quite as liberally as Naruto spams his Shadow Clones, and it is entirely possible that Naruto will learn the _Kage Bunshin_, it just won't be used quite as much as in canon. And no, Naruto will not act like Kabuto, sending the dead into battle while he stays miles away from the action, he's just not the type for that. And his summons won't be mindless slaves either.

On that topic, the reason I made Kushina not act like a lifeless doll was the observation that when Torune was reanimated, he acted like a real human for a few seconds, when Kabuto stuck the slave-tag into his head.

And why Naruto didn't inch away in disgust when he read the instructions, Naruto decided that he'd only use it on really bad people, who were beyond redemption, to bring back those who died before their time. And to those who claim that Naruto valued all life in canon, I didn't see him shedding any tears for Gatou and his men.

Oh, and to those wondering, Boutoku means 'Blasphemy' or 'Sacrilege', and is a fairly obvious reference to the _Edo Tensei_'s way of interrupting the cycle of life.

Pairings are once again undecided, I'm open to suggestions.

Do you like the idea? Should I continue it? And if yes, who do you think will Naruto call back? Minato is not an option, since he doesn't reside in the pure world.

Well, that's the first chapter. The only things left now are for me to ask you to

Please Review

and to wish you all a

MERRY CHRISTMAS


	2. Kushina

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Kushina blinked. The last thing she remembered was dying on Kyuubi's claw, with the knowledge that her son was safe, and the beast that she had in the end failed to keep imprisoned would again be locked away where it couldn't hurt anyone. So she was more than surprised to find herself on hard earth in a forest. For a second she thought she was in heaven, before faint echos of what could be memories of sorts came to her and told her that it wasn't the case, and that the afterlife was different. It wasn't more than an odd hunch, but she was fairly sure that she was on the mark. She usually was.

"M-m-mom?" came a voice from behind.

She turned around, and saw a wounded Konoha-shinobi that looked faintly familiar, and a boy in an orange jumpsuit with sun-kissed blond hair, blue eyes and whisker-like birthmarks. 'He looks like a chibi-Minato with a rounder face.' Kushina thought to herself, the shape of his face actually reminding her of her own when she was young, which had temporarily brought her the nickname 'Tomato', until a brutal beating made them change it into 'The bloody Habanero'. And the whisker-like marks reminded her of those she had seen on her own... no way! "Naruto?" She asked.

The boy's eyes widened, he was seemingly unable to speak. "Are you Naruto? My sochi?" Kushina asked again.

The boy still stared, before he thew himself at her, hugging her and wetting her stomach with his tears. Kushina could occasionally make out the word "Mom."

Almost awkwardly, she patted the boy's head. How could he be so old? He looked to be around twelve! Then she noticed that her hand was grayish, and seemed to have a few cracks. Looking around, she saw a complex seal on the ground. While there were too many to analyze them with a glance, she slowly gained a suspicion, which hardened when she noticed the forbidden scroll on her sochi's back. "Naruto, what's going on?"

Naruto looked up at her, and realized she was looking at her hand. "Well...I...kinda...summonedyouheremom."

Kushina blinked, her suspicion confirmed. She could only hope that the injured man leaning on the tree wasn't meant to be the sacrifice to call Naruto's father. Her voice was deadly serious. "Naruto, who did you sacrifice to call me?" She had heard of the _Edo Tensei_, though she never saw it.

The man in the back spoke up. "A traitor who tricked Naruto into stealing the forbidden scroll, then tried to kill us both."

Kushina's face went from serious and accusing to relieved and happy. "Oh. In that case, it's wonderful to see you sochi." She called out as she pulled her son into a hug. She had wanted to do that since she became pregnant, and had never had enough opportunities to do so. Then she came to another topic. "The jutsu isn't complete yet, is it?" Her body was cold and felt unresponsive, like she was wearing a heavy armor in cold winter.

Naruto looked at her. "But I don't want you to be a mindless soldier!" He called out.

Kushina gently took the scroll from him, unrolled it until Naruto told her where the passage was, and took a look at the seal that completed the jutsu, and was placed into the summoned body. While the first part of the jutsu was pretty complex, the second version even more so, the final part was almost ridiculously easy for someone of Kushina's caliber with seals.

"Looks like simple works best for the last part. Let's see, if I change this, this and this, and add this, this and this as an improvement for the physical body, then... voila!" She held a new tag up, before putting it into her son's hands. "There. With this one, I will have my free will and be in control of my body."

Naruto looked at the tag. "Are you sure?"

Kushina rolled her eyes. "I'm an Uzumaki, of course I'm sure. Now do it."

Hesitantly, Naruto pressed the tag against his mother's head, quickly pulling his hand back when it sank into the head like a pebble into a lake.

Kushina sighed. A healthy rosy color spread over her body, the cracks vanishing, as her hair, which had seemed a little dull before, gained a new shine. The only indication that something was off were Kushina's eyes. While a new gleam of life had entered them once more, the sclera had turned black. Kushina smiled. "Ah, much better."

The man, who had looked at the scene in what laid somewhere between worry, confusion, and happiness for his secretly favorite student, spoke up. "Naruto, come here for a second."

Naruto obeyed. "Yes Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka smiled. "Close your eyes for a moment."

Naruto didn't know why, but he shut his eyes.

"You can open them now." Came Iruka's voice.

When Naruto opened his eyes, he immediately noticed Iruka was not wearing his forehead-protector. Touching his own forehead, instead of his goggles, he felt a plate of metal with an engraving. Tears once again rolled down his cheeks. Iruka smiled. "Congratulations, Naruto. What do you say we celebrate this with some ramen?" The boy jumped into his arms, giving him a hug.

While Naruto jumped around in joy, Kushina approached Iruka. "So, you're not going to give him trouble about learning a forbidden technique of questionable moral integrity?"

Iruka shrugged. "He is a good kid, and he defeated a chunin-level opponent. For that I awarded him the title of genin. The rest is up to the Sandaime."

Kushina raised a brow. "So the old man took the mantle of Hokage back up, huh? This should be fun."

-0-

Sarutobi sighed as he looked at the picture before him. Kushina, who had been buried twelve years ago, was currently holding her son on her lap, said boy snuggling into the mother he had missed for so long, while the woman gave him a calculating look. "It's been a while, Sarutobi."

The old leader nodded. "Indeed Kushina. Twelve years. I never would have thought I'd see you again."

Kushina gave him a smile, her black eyes making the gesture slightly threatening. "Well, you thought wrong. I'm back."

Sarutobi frowned. "Yes, regarding that. Naruto, I'm sorry, but I believe it's best we end the jutsu, and you hand over the scrolls with the jutsu, and the notes you took."

Naruto's eyes widened, and his grip on his mother tightened. "What? No! I just got her back! And I know how to make more scrolls." He firmly declared.

Sarutobi gave him a look. "Naruto, are you saying that you memorized the seal-sequence for the _Edo Tensei_, in a few hours?"

Kushina snorted. "Why are you surprised? He's an Uzumaki, seals come as natural and easy to us as breathing fire comes to the Uchiha, and considering who his father was, how can he be anything but a prodigy?"

Naruto seemingly remembered something. "Mom, whose my father?"

Kushina stared at him, completely baffled. "You don't know?" Her eyes wandered to Sarutobi, and now anger was burning in them. "He doesn't know?" She demanded.

Sarutobi sighed. "With all the enemies you two made, I thought it safer that he doesn't know. He can't brag with secrets he doesn't know, which in turn reduces the risk of the information leaking to enemies."

Kushina frowned. "I see your point. But now I'm back, and I'll protect him. Also, I'll give him some of the training he seems to lack." She nodded to herself, satisfied with the decision.

Sarutobi shook his head. "I'm sorry Kushina, but it's for the best that you return. The dead should rest in peace, and that jutsu is too dangerous."

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Are you suggesting to erase it from Naruto's mind?"

Sarutobi shrugged sadly. "Kushina, you have to understand, that jutsu was sealed away for a very good reason."

Kushina growled. "Sarutobi, you will get to Naruto only after you send me back to the afterlife, and honestly, I don't think you can. Do remember, I'm not just a shinobi, I'm a seal-mistress."

Sarutobi sighed deeply. He knew that in a normal fight, he would beat Kushina ninety-nine out of a hundred times, but now, things were slightly different. She would not tire, nor would she be bothered by any injury for more than a few seconds, and a real seal-master generally didn't need more than one hit to end a fight. It seemed that for now, he'd have to back down. On the bright side, Naruto was an honest and honorable child, and if Sarutobi got him to promise not to use the jutsu again, then the boy would keep that promise. Still, it was a headache. "Naruto, of all the jutsu in the scroll, why did you pick that one?" He asked.

Naruto looked at him, relaxing more now that the tension had passed. "Well, it caught my eye because someone else had made corrections after it was written down. I thought that it might be a hint which one I was supposed to learn, and that if someone went to the trouble to improve it, it had to be a good jutsu."

Sarutobi stared at Naruto, for the first few seconds not understanding what the boy was saying. Then he grabbed the forbidden scroll, practically tore it open, and looked for the _Edo Tensei_. When he saw the corrections, the color left his face. "Oh no."

Naruto blinked. "What's wrong jiji?"

Sarutobi's fingers trailed the lines of the kanji and kana that made up the corrections. "I'd recognize that handwriting anywhere. Orochimaru, one of the greatest traitors in the history of Konoha since Uchiha Madara, and one my students. That he knows the _Edo Tensei_, to the point that he actually improved it..." His eyes widened in horror as he realized something. Orochimaru had experimented with the Shodai's DNA, hoping to create Mokuton-soldiers. And while the only survivor of those experiments was loyal to Konoha, for him to have the ability to do such experiments, Orochimaru would need the DNA of the Shodai! And since he and his brother were laid to rest at the same place, then Orochimaru could possibly summon the first two Hokage!

A sly smile spread on Kushina's face. "Looks like circumstances just changed, didn't they? A traitor, in possession of a technique that allows him to call back the departed. I can hear the gears turning in your head Sarutobi, and softened up or not, you are a good leader. The situation may have demanded that the jutsu must be kept hidden if there is only one user, but with the enemy already having it, you're not willing to let them have a monopoly that will allow him to throw Konoha's own men against their comrades."

Without knowing it, Kushina had hit an even bigger nerve than she could have guessed, as the image of the first two Hokage attacking the village they gave their life for flashed before Sarutobi's eyes. Finally, he seemed to collapse into his chair. "You win Kushina. Naruto can keep the jutsu, on the condition that he never sacrifices an innocent for it, and uses it wisely. That means carefully and sparingly." He added, knowing that Kushina's definition of 'wisely' may be very different from his own.

Kushina triumphed. "Ha! I've missed twelve years of my son's life, no chance I'm just leaving now. I want to know my baby. On that note, how are Mikoto and Hikari?"

"Huh?" Sarutobi blinked, before nodding. "Oh yes, you don't know. I'm sorry to tell you this, but they're both dead."

Kushina stared in shock. "Dead? How? The three of us where the strongest Kunoichi since Tsunade! How did they die?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Hyuuga Hikari succumbed to a disease shortly after giving birth to her second daughter, Hanabi. Uchiha Mikoto died, together with the rest of her clan sans Sasuke, in the Uchiha-massacre that Uchiha Itachi caused."

Kushina turned slack. "Hikari..." She muttered, lost in thoughts. "Mikoto... I don't know how, but I know that her death is Fugaku's fault! If only..." She trailed off.

Sarutobi felt a pang of worry. "Kushina, what are you planning?"

Kushina looked up. "Who, me? Nothing, nothing. Either way, I'll bring Naruto home. He told me the address." She got up, picked up Naruto, who had fallen asleep, and walked away.

Sarutobi suddenly realized something. "Kushina, that's not a good..." But she was already gone. Sarutobi winced. He knew that once Kushina saw the apartment, she would be furious.

But right now, he sent out a message, stating that the teams would be decided not tomorrow, but next week, as there were too many things Sarutobi had to do right now.

Kushina was right, he was a good leader, and knew when morals had to be sacrificed for the greater good, namely the lives of those entrusted to him. There was work to be done.

-0-

Kushina's brow twitched as she looked at the apartment. From the outside the place was a dump, trash everywhere, filthy walls on which graffiti and mold were locked in a merciless struggle for dominance. She found the only door that wasn't halfway rotted, and opened it.

The inside was better, but not by much. Naruto apparently kept the place clean enough, neither mold nor dirt here, though the bare walls still didn't raise a homy atmosphere. "That's it, we're leaving." She muttered, before turning on the shower, half-amazed that it actually worked, and muttered "_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_." Three Kushinas stepped out of the shower, and began packing up everything, while the original carried Naruto to his new home, her old one.

-0-

When Naruto opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. It was nicer than all rooms he'd ever been in, the bed unbelievably soft, but he was still worried. Where was he?

Carefully sneaking through the house, which was almost as large as the entire apartment-complex, he tried to find out where he was. He heard a sound coming from a room, and carefully peaked around the corner, and looked into his mother's face. "Good morning sleepyhead. Your place was a dump, so I took you here. I must say, the seals me and your father put up did a great job at keeping away dust and dirt."

Naruto blinked. "Oh, okay." Then he remembered something. "Mom, you still didn't tell me who dad was. Maybe I can call him back too? I mean, if we find a really bad person?"

Kushina gave him a sad smile. "Sadly no, I analyzed the array while you were asleep, and I'm afraid it only calls souls from the normal afterlife. Your father used a jutsu that sent his soul elsewhere, so the _Edo Tensei_ can't call him here. And I thought about what Sarutobi said, and in one point, he's sadly right. Your father made many enemies, and right now, you're not ready to face them. I'll tell you soon, promise."

Naruto grumbled, but he was too happy to have a mother to complain. "Fine." He grumbled, before his eyes widened in panic. "Oh crap, I'm late!"

He jumped up, but Kushina caught him before he even landed back on the ground. "Calm down Naruto. Sarutobi sent out a notice that due to special circumstances that allow no delay, the team-designations are moved by one week. So you don't have to worry about that for now. There are a few other things more pressing right now."

Naruto blinked. "Like what?"

Kushina raised a finger. "For one thing, we need to train you. I looked at your grades, and from what this Iruka, the only neutral source in the entire folder, wrote, it looks like you're still lacking in certain areas. Personally, I can work on your basic fitness, kenjutsu, though I'm not an expert, and on fuinjutsu. There are a few other people I want to call for the rest. Which brings us to the second matter." She grabbed into a drawer, a characteristic cloud of smoke showing something was being unsealed, and put it into Naruto's hand.

He looked at it. It was a ring, only that it seemed to have three accessories hanging from it, namely three strands of hair as thick as his pinky, one raven, one black with a bluish hue, and one red. There was a small metal wrapping which kept the hairs together, and connected them to the ring, and on each one was a small engraving, a spiral on the red hair, while the black ones where marked with a fan and what looked like a full-moon. "What is this?" Naruto asked.

Kushina smiled. "That is a ring of friendship. Only three exist in the entire world, since they were made with the hair of the three friends it was for. It should be enough DNA for the _Edo Tensei_. The red hair is mine, by the way."

Naruto blinked. "You want me to call back your friends?" He asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yes. Hikari is a taijutsu-expert like no other and the only one that might know more ninjutsu than Mikoto is the Sandaime. They can help you in aspects of your training that I'm not very good at. And I want to see them again."

Naruto nodded, the explanation making perfect sense to his young mind. "But I can't just call them back, I don't want to use it on innocents."

Kushina smiled happily and took Naruto to a large, empty room, with the exception of two tattered men in prison-clothing in front of Naruto's feet, each of them an open scroll placed before them. "I thought you might say that, so I borrowed these two from Konoha's prison, and prepared two _Edo Tensei_-scrolls. I put them there myself, so I know who they are. This one," she gave the left body a kick "is a bloodthirsty psychopath who murdered his own comrades, so he's as evil as they come."

Naruto nodded. "And the other one?"

Kushina's smile turned frighteningly cheerful. "Who, he? He's trash, the lowest type of scum that crawls this world." She waited a moment, before adding "He's a serial rapist."

Naruto blinked. "Oh." Then he walked to the scrolls, placed the hair on them, and formed the handsign, before a thought hit him. "Mom, if you can make more scrolls, couldn't you have just called them back yourself?"

Kushina nodded. "I probably could have, but it wouldn't feel right. You worked hard to learn this jutsu, so it's only fair you be the one to use it. I will merely work on a perfect version."

Naruto tilted his head. "So the technique is incomplete?"

Kushina smiled. "Oh, it's as complete as anyone would manage to do it. You have to respect Orochimaru for his work, and the Nidaime even more, for making it, but there was no way that a jutsu like this could be completed just with the living."

Naruto's face spoke his confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kushina shrugged. "I'm not sure myself, but something changed after I was brought back. Even though I can't remember anything, I was in the afterlife, and this experience seems to have done something to me. I can work seals on a different perspective now, and while some more seal-masters like me would be nice to perfect it, as a deceased one, I can at the very least work out the basics of the half no living human could really understand, the connection from afterlife to life. But that's in the future, could you now call them, I'm itching for a reunion."

Naruto nodded, and sent his chakra into the scrolls. The seals spread, and the two criminals screamed through the silencing-seals as their bodies were changed. Kushina handed Naruto two of the 'Free-will'-tags, and as soon as the bodies had finished forming, Naruto placed them into the two resurrected women's heads.

-0-

The first woman had a slender built, her raven hair openly falling down her back. Her eyes looked like black marbles, it took a second look to spot the black iris. She was wearing what one could describe as normal, casual clothes.

The second woman had her bluish black hair bound together a few inches before the tips, which gave it a more orderly look. She was wearing a white kimono, and her eyes, which in life had been the typical Hyuuga-white, had shifted in color to black. Also, her body was much more curvy, her bust probably uncomfortably tight in a DD-cup bra, something only visible since the kimono was on too loose, as if the wearer had spent a longer time in bed. The woman reflexively corrected the garb's fit, which almost completely hid her figure.

The two women looked around in confusion, before they spotted Kushina.

They threw themselves at her. "Kushi-chan!" The Hyuuga exclaimed, while the other woman went for a "I thought I'd never see you again!"

After a few minutes of banter, Kushina explained to her two friends what had happened. The two women nodded, before looking at Naruto.

"So this is your son?" Mikoto asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yup, that's Naruto."

Hikari looked at him, before pulling him into a hug. "Kawai!" She exclaimed while pressing a squirming Naruto into her bosom until he started to turn blue.

The other two women shook their heads at their friend's antics. It looked like the future would be quite amusing. They could hardly wait to see the world once more.

* * *

Chapter 2 is done. Wow, I can honestly say that I didn't expect such a response. Over 100 Reviews, 2340 hits, 10 C2s, 117 Favorites, and 137 Alerts, all in roughly 48 hours. Looks like many were really waiting for a story like this. I do wonder if this story will stay unique, or if others will take up the idea after seeing that it can work if done correctly, like when I took up dracohalo117's Perfection-challenge, after which others started to use the idea, my personal favorite among them Arynia's Perfection. I sure as hell would like to see the direction other authors may take Naruto with that jutsu, as the possibilities are almost endless.

Now, as for the chapter itself, a few things have cleared up, and a few questions have been raised. For one thing, yes, Kushina will stay. She has missed twelve years of her son's life, an like any loving mother, she wants to make up for lost time. In my opinion, if the Kushina in Naruto's mind could, she would have stayed to watch her son's life, but she knew her time was limited, and accepted that. Now she doesn't have that problem. Also, someone argued that since Kushina was in Naruto's head, she couldn't be summoned by the _Edo Tensei_. In my opinion, what aided Naruto wasn't Kushina's soul, but more of a copy. In a translation I saw, Kushina referred to herself and the Minato that Naruto met as fragments of a soul, though personally I believe that they were imprints of memories and personality in the chakra rather than the actual souls. Minato's soul is in the shinigami's stomach, and Kushina's was in the Pure World, until Naruto called her back. As for the argument that Kushina doesn't reside in the Pure World because she said she could rejoin Minato, well, even in the Naruto-series the afterlife is not clearly discussed, which leads me to believe that Kushina said that more in the sense that they can pass on, though perhaps she herself was unsure, and to be honest, it kinda sounds like wishful thinking. There was never any indication that Kushina used the _Shiki Fujin_, in fact it is implied that a jinchuuriki cannot perform it, nor that it was the seal used to bind Kyuubi into Kushina, which looked completely different when shown in chapter 500. So there is no reason that Kushina would end up in the Shinigami's stomach, and in the entire manga there is nothing that even suggests otherwise, except one little phrase that when looking at it neutrally cannot be taken at face-value. It is Kushina's wish to reunite with Minato in the afterlife, it was never said that it actually happened.

As for Kushina simply reverse-engineering that seal-tag, for one thing she's a seal-mistress equal to Minato (at least in this story, though I'm pretty sure she was on or close to that level in canon as well), and secondly the tag is not that complicated. In chapter 522 you see the tag, and while the signs can't be read, the tag only has two lines, so it can't be that complicated for an expert to figure it out. And the effects are not perfect. Kushina only looks like she's alive, but the 'regeneration' doesn't go deeper than the skin. It's essentially no different than a _henge_ that fools the sense of sight and touch of those that come in contact with the resurrected.

What I did regarding Mikoto and Hinata's mom, which I decided to call Hikari since I couldn't find any info on her real name, my statement comes from a logical deduction. For one thing, in clans like the Hyuuga and the Uchiha blood is important, but to become wife of the leader, in other words matriarch of the clan, I do believe that something more is needed than just pure blood and a pretty face. There had to have been plenty in clans of that size. And what is the other quality that both clans valued? Strength. Both Fugaku and Hiashi were/are men that valued strength over fickle bonds, which is clearly shown in their behavior, and while Hiashi may have changed for the worst after the presumed death of his wife, and his brother's sacrifice, humans rarely change so drastically, so I assume that a certain mindset had to have been present beforehand. So it is only logical that both Hiashi and Fugaku chose the strongest of all possible candidates. So going along with that line of thought, I have decided that both women were in a team with Kushina, since at the very least Kushina and Mikoto seemed to be good friends, and that all three were incredibly strong. Some adaptions that are unlikely in canon may occur, but rest assured, they will have a proper and logical explanation.

Someone said that the summoning should be ended and that Naruto should respect the dead. While I agree that such values must be imparted, there are two reasons that speak against it. One, they know Orochimaru has that jutsu, and doing nothing is basically giving him an advantage that they know he won't hesitate to use against them, which is not likely in any military organization. Danzou is the best example that there are times where morals must take a back-seat. The second reason is that if Naruto won't use the jutsu because of too much respect, then there would have been no point in having him learn it in the first place!

A good warning given to me was that I have to be very careful not to overpower Naruto and make him invincible. While I will be careful, Kankuro and Omoi have proven that while the resurrected warriors might be nearly impossible to kill, they can be captured, as was done with Deidara. So the resurrected are not automatically an unstoppable force, they are simply very complicated enemies, and a pain to beat. I will do my best to keep the story interesting, and just a small spoiler, not every resurrected person must always be following Naruto like a ghost, and immediately jump between him and the enemy. And in my opinion, the indestructibility comes with the jutsu, not the tag in the heads of the resurrected.

Now the Q&A

Q: How loose are your morals?  
A: To answer that bluntly, yes, resurrected people are a viable option for pairings. Not at the present moment, but as you have read in this chapter, the _Edo Tensei_ is still a work in progress, and will be refined further. And to those that want NaruKushi, yes, I am willing to take that pairing into consideration, if the arguments are sound. That doesn't mean I'll use it as soon as someone can give a good reasoning, there are plenty of pairings in the air. Suggestions appreciated, with reasoning even more appreciated. And I said loose morals, not no morals. Naruto hates treason and betrayal, and even he was taught that rape is a very bad thing.

Q: How do the resurrected get chakra?  
A: Since Kabuto clearly stated that the technique has no risks for the user, and sending chakra over miles would probably be very risky, the theory I'm going with is that they transform Nature-chakra into their chakra, which would also explain the 'they do not tire'-part, since the amount of it floating through the air is practically infinite. The user has to give loads of chakra to call the resurrected ones, but after that, the only chakra the user would need to spend is when he wants to enslave his summons, and Naruto will only do that in rare and very select cases.

Q: Will Minato be revived?  
A: No. He is in the Shinigami's stomach, and until I find a realistic and logical way to get him out of there, he cannot and will not make an appearance.

Q: Who will be resurrected?  
A: A very good question. Can you answer it for me? Tell me, who do you want to see resurrected?

Well, I've written another annoyingly long author's note. Just to see who stayed with me, please add a & to your reviews for this chapter, so I can make a mental statistic. Either way, there is only one thing left to do now, you all know it

Please Review

and

A Happy New Year to You All


	3. Birth of Haka

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

After Hikari was done cuddling Naruto, Mikoto returning from the bathroom she had retreated to for some odd reason, and a large reunion-celebration that lasted until evening, a more serious issue finally arose. Mikoto knew that her family was next to extinct, but not how bad the damage really was.

Naruto sighed. Everyone knew about the Uchiha-massacre, whether they wanted to or not. It had been discussed too often to not know of it, being the only talk in town for over two months. So he felt it was his job to answer the question, since from the four people in the room, he was the only one who had been present, read alive, in its aftermath. "Well Mikoto-neechan, I heard that the clan was killed down to the last member," he quoted the mutterings of two women he had eavesdropped on "except for one. Sasuke Uchiha. He is, or was, in my class. A jerk, always acting like he's so far above everyone else, a real asshole. No offense." Naruto quickly added when he realized that it was Sasuke's mother he was complaining to. Now he actually felt kinda bad. You don't go to a guy's mother to complain, that's just low.

Mikoto frowned. "And Itachi?" She knew why her boy had done what he did, which was the reason she had made no attempt to fight back. She could have probably fought him off, as even out of practice and with Itachi using the Mangekyo, the boy had next to no experience with it. He was a prodigy, but he was simply not in her old league, at least not when the massacre occurred. Now it might be a different story, as long as the boy hadn't committed seppuku in grief.

Naruto shrugged. "He was listed as an S-Class Missing-nin. Didn't hear anything since, though I think it would be the talk of town for a while if someone had cashed in the bounty. They talked about the massacre for months."

Mikoto nodded, relieved that her son had not ended his life. She still loved both her children dearly, no matter what they did. It was just part of being a mother.

Now Hikari looked up. "And what about my kids? Are Hinata and Hanabi alright?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Don't really know much about the Hyuuga, sorry Hikari-neechan. Most have a really big stick shoved up their asses, and I steer clear of them. They don't like my pranks very much. Never heard of Hanabi, but I know a Hinata who looks a lot like you, only the hair is shorter. Weird girl, really quiet, wears a large jacket, but not mean. She seems okay, though I never really talked with her."

Hikari frowned, but the boy didn't seem to be lying, and he was probably still in the girls-have-cooties-phase of his life. "I see. Next point then, I want to see my children."

-0-

In the Hyuuga-compound, Hiashi Hyuuga suddenly froze, shivers running down his spine.

"What's wrong father?" Hanabi, who was walking beside her father, asked.

Hiashi shook his head. "It's nothing." He stated, while mentally wondering where that sudden feeling of dread had come from.

-0-

Naruto scratched his head again. "Well I don't mind, but shouldn't we talk to jiji first?"

Hikari, and surprisingly Mikoto as well, frowned, before their common sense stampeded over their wish for immediate family-reunions. After all, it wasn't every day that the dead returned to life, and it would likely cause quite an upheaval if that got public knowledge.

On second thought, there was no problem in that becoming common knowledge, amongst a small circle of trustworthy people who were bound on the pain of death to not give it away, as long as nobody could trace the resurrected back to the one that had resurrected them, namely Naruto.

Hikari sighed. "Fine. We'll talk to Hokage-sama first. It's not like the deceased coming for a visit is a daily occurrence."

Mikoto on the other hand was looking around. "By the way, where's Kushina?"

Hikari and Naruto looked around in surprise, noticing that the redhead was indeed gone. "She wouldn't." Hikari muttered.

Mikoto sighed again. "She would."

Naruto looked confused. "Um, what's going on?"

Mikoto patted his head. "You see Naruto, your mother is a wonderful person, and really a genius with seals. When in combat, she's also scary smart. Outside of combat... not so much."

Hikari chuckled. "Not that Kushina is stupid or anything, she's just... an occasional airhead. For example, we understand that the _Edo Tensei_ is something you have to be very careful with, not just out of moral reasons or because of the balance of the circle of life, but simply because that jutsu is bound to change people, especially someone as young as you."

Mikoto nodded. "Just using it at random will not be good. For one thing, you won't understand just how precious life really is if you simply revive everyone who you don't want dead. Some don't want to be called back, and in some cases, you just should not do it. Life is precious and delicate, and that is good. The _Edo Tensei_ can be used for good, but it is still a technique that if not evil is at the very least dark. You mustn't abuse it. I understand that, Hikari understands that, the Hokage understands that. Kushina technically does too, but doesn't act like it. Right now, I'd bet my left arm that she's going out to dig up some grave."

Hikari had meanwhile activated her Byakugan, the veins around her still-black eyes bulging as the pupil and iris became easier to spot. "Found her. She's still here." With that, she opened a drawer, and pulled out a long rope. "Now, let's go get her."

-0-

Kushina on the other hand had used the opportunity to sneak out unnoticed. Hikari and Mikoto would likely not be amused, but she had lived through their ire before, she could do so again.

However, as she opened the gate of her compound, she came face to face with an unexpected visitor.

"Hello Kushina."

Kushina laughed nervously. "Sarutobi. Nice night, isn't it?"

The old man nodded. "Indeed. What are you up to?"

Kushina blinked in feigned innocence. "Who, me? Nothing."

Sarutobi raised a brow. "In that case, you won't mind giving me the shovel."

Kushina blinked. "Shovel? What shovel?" She looked past her shoulder, where the shovel was clearly visible. "Oh, that shovel. Here you go." She handed it over.

Sarutobi stretched out his other hand. "And the pickaxe."

"Che." Kushina forced out. "Meanie." But she handed the tool over.

Sarutobi gave her a stern look. "Kushina, I expected you to be more responsible. You're not a child anymore, stop acting like one. Don't make me regret my decision more than I already do."

Kushina looked to the ground, ashamed. She had no idea how, but the old man had this gig where he'd really make you feel bad without really doing anything! It was infuriating! "Sorry, won't happen again."

The Sandaime nodded. "On that topic, two prisoners vanished from Konoha's prison last night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Kushina's shoes were suddenly incredibly fascinating. "Um, no?"

She had barely finished speaking when something soared over her head. Looking up, she found her arms pinned to her body by a rope, before a strong tug pulled her off her feet and through the air. A short glance told Kushina that it was Hikari had lassoed her, probably even less amused with Kushina's idea than Sarutobi.

As soon as Kushina had been dragged back into the building, the resurrected Hyuuga exploded. "Kushina! You should really know better! The _Edo Tensei_ is not some toy that you can use to call back everyone you want to have a chat with! What is wrong in your head that you get such a... Oh, hello Sarutobi, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Sarutobi wordlessly stared at the woman for at least ten seconds, then his head dropped as a deep sigh escaped his lips. He felt the beginning of the mother of all migraines. "Let me guess, Mikoto is back as well?"

"Greetings, Hokage-sama." Came a third voice. Mikoto had joined the group. "I just brought Naruto to bed. It was a long day, and I don't believe he needs to hear everything we will discuss."

Only now Sarutobi realized another problem, one that for a change only indirectly had to do with Naruto having learned something that should have been erased from history. Mikoto had been in the know of the Uchiha's plot, so her loyalties were... questionable, to say the least. Just great. A potentially hostile S-rank on the loose, now better than ever with indestructibility. What else could go wrong? "No, he does not. May I come in?"

Kushina, still tied up, nodded. "Be my guest."

-0-

Three people sat in the living-room, Hikari having volunteered to make tea, which had just been served.

Sarutobi took a small gulp. "Aah, I really missed your tea, Hikari. You really have no equal when it comes to tea."

Hikari smiled as she placed the pot on the table and took a seat herself. "Thank you. So what is this about?"

Before Sarutobi had a chance to even open his mouth, Mikoto spoke. "It's about the plans of the Uchiha-clan to take over Konoha, and my place in it, correct?"

The two women stared at their friend in shock, while Sarutobi simply nodded.

The two women started talking at once, ensuring that very few words were actually understood. "Mikoto!" "...not serious" "Why would you..." "...some kind of joke?"

Mikoto raised her hand for silence, then looked at her friends with pleading eyes, tears rolling down her face.. "Kushina, Hikari. I know you're upset for me, and with good reason, but please, try to understand. Kushina been dead for four years, then Hikari passed away. I just didn't have the strength left to protest Fugaku's actions. I just didn't care anymore."

Hikari and Kushina exchanged looks. While it may sound odd, it was actually pretty plausible. Mikoto was a withdrawn person, and only really opened to very few people. On the other hand, she really hung her heart on those she did trust, so losing her closest friends could crush her.

Sarutobi looked at her. "So you're saying that you became a nihilist after their deaths?"

Mikoto shrugged. "That sounds about right. On a different topic, was my son's rampage ordered or was it just a lucky break for Konoha that Itachi decided to stop the coup in its tracks?"

Sarutobi stiffened. "What makes you think that Itachi's actions had anything to do with the coup?"

Mikoto raised a brow in a do-you-think-I'm-an-idiot-expression. "Let's see. For one thing, the fact that you know about the coup is suspicious. Of course that Itachi said, and I quote, 'I'm sorry, but I cannot allow your scheme to go on' before killing me is a pretty obvious giveaway, so as Kushina would say, cut the bullshit."

Sarutobi considered keeping the act up, but quickly realized that nobody was buying it, so honesty it was. "Fine. What I'm about to tell you is an SS-ranked secret. Yes, Itachi was and still is loyal to Konoha, and the Uchiha-massacre was ordered. I tried my hardest to defuse the situation before it came to that, but I don't think I have to say that I failed. By the time Itachi informed me of the plan, Fugaku had apparently decided that he didn't care about any other ways. I was against the operation, but eventually I was forced to choose between the Uchiha-clan and the safety of Konoha."

Mikoto nodded. "I hold no grudge. Not to Konoha, not to you, and not to my son. Where is he now?"

Sarutobi gave her a regretful look. "That, I'm afraid, is classified. All I will say is that as an S-ranked Missing-nin, there are things he can do that others can't."

Mikoto nodded. "And Sasuke?"

Now another sigh escaped Sarutobi's lips. "While Itachi spared his life, he did not leave him unharmed. A genjutsu of unknown origin was used on him, and his mind has suffered from it. He is still smart, but cold. All he cares about is the glory of the Uchiha-clan, and killing his brother."

Mikoto's brow twitched. "I... see. On that topic, do you think a visit would be possible? Hikari probably wants to see her family too." The mentioned woman nodded enthusiastically.

Sarutobi looked at them. "At the moment, that is sadly not possible. However, it does bring us to the topic I originally wanted to discuss with you. Well, Naruto is asleep right now, and the boy does deserve it, but do you think you four can come to my office tomorrow, say, three hours before sunrise should do. But hide your faces, we don't need any rumors."

Now Kushina went into serious-mode. "Is it about the _Edo Tensei_?"

Sarutobi nodded.

The three women exchanged looks, before speaking as one. "We shall be there."

Almost against his will, Sarutobi had to smile. Seeing these three back together reminded him of happier times. "Good then. Hikari, would you mind pouring me some more of that fabulous tea?"

-0-

The next morning, an odd quartet found themselves in the Hokage's office long before daybreak, having gone through the window to avoid the secretary.

Sarutobi was already waiting for them. "Good to see you all arrived on time."

Naruto yawned. "Jiji, it's really early."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes Naruto, because what we do here doesn't need to become public knowledge." He took a deep breath. "The reason I called you all here is, as you've probably already guessed, the _Edo Tensei_, and what will be done in the future. I'll admit, I wish we could simply forget it ever existed, but because Orochimaru knows it, I'm afraid we no longer have that option. Orochimaru is not the type of person to waste resources, and with that jutsu, he could quickly become very dangerous. I admit that the choice was a difficult one, but before I tell you my decision I want to know one thing. The original technique turns the resurrected into a helpless slave of the caster's whims. Kushina, you mentioned that you altered the technique to give you free will. How far does that extend?"

Kushina smiled. "Well for one thing, I improved the physical appearance, as is obvious. As far as free will goes, it is nearly absolute. The tags I made for Mikoto, Hikari, and myself allows complete power over oneself, the only thing Naruto may be able to do is summon us to his location, and maybe sense us when out of his line of sight. I considered altering the tag for later summons so that it prevents the summoned to harm the summoner. Why?"

Sarutobi nodded. "That alteration may be a good idea, but more about that later. Either way, after careful consideration, I decided that there are individuals that I simply cannot allow Orochimaru to summon. This was perhaps the most difficult decision I made in all my time as Hokage, but I hereby declare the formation of a new branch of Konoha's shinobi, whose very existence, and even more the identities of their members, is an SS-ranked secret." He unsealed three sets of clothing.

Kushina, Mikoto and Hikari each grabbed one, and gave it a look. It was a fairly simple set of gray clothing, baggy-pants, socks, sandals, long-sleeved shirts, a special piece of clothing that was pulled over the head and covered neck and head, while having holes for face and hair, a gray mask looking similar to a blank Hunter-nin's mask, the kanji HAKA, meaning tomb, on the forehead, and a long hooded coat, the kanji for 'forbidden' printed in black against the gray threads.

Kushina looked at it. "Interesting design. There are seals I guess?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, though I would like to ask your help in improving them. But enough of that. Haka will be a group consisting aside from Naruto entirely of resurrected, and because of that it will be very small. You all are asked to join in it. But there is something else that needs to be done now. Follow me."

-0-

Sarutobi lead the four through a secret passage to a windowless chamber, in which two people in prison-clothing were sitting in what appeared to be a trance.

On a nearby table there were two vials with an unknown substance. Sarutobi sighed deeply. "Those two vials hold genetic material of the Shodai and Nidaime respectively. It breaks my heart to do this, but Orochimaru cannot be allowed to call them and force them to attack the people they died for. These two are death-row prisoners, due to be executed today."

Naruto looked up. "So I will call back the Hokages?" He was torn between excitement and worry. Sure it was cool, but the reactions to that jutsu had not been very enthusiastic so far.

Sarutobi nodded. Naruto pulled out two scrolls prepared beforehand, unrolled them, and poured the genetic materials over them. Then he activated the jutsu, and witnessed how two legends returned to the world of the living.

-0-

Two figures rose, still dazed. One was clad in red armor, and his long hair was straight and black. The second one wore blue armor, ans his hair was spikier and white as snow. The red figure spoke first. "Where are we?"

The white-haired one sighed. "It seems that we were summoned back from the grave, though I don't know for what purpose."

Sarutobi spoke. "Hashirama-sensei, Tobirama-sensei, it has been a very long time."

The two looked at him. Hashirama tilted his head. "Sarutobi? You have grown old."

Sarutobi smiled. "Indeed. The decades I've lived tend to do that."

Tobirama was apparently more business-oriented. "You called us back? I must admit, I am disappointed, although in your case it may simply be that you've gone senile."

Sarutobi sighed. "Indeed, you were called back on my responsibility, but I am not your summoner."

The two Hokage glanced around the room, noticing the four others. Three were women, but they were all pointing at the fourth, a young boy.

Tobirama raised a brow. "A child? You have taught the _Edo Tensei_ to a child?"

Sarutobi actually blushed slightly. "Of course not! The situation is... complicated, but a short summary would be that young Naruto here was tricked into stealing the forbidden scroll, being told that learning one technique would allow him to graduate the shinobi-academy, and through a number of different factors, succeeded. Unfortunately he chose, and actually learned, the _Edo Tensei_."

Hashirama gave the old man a grim look. "And why did you allow him to keep it?"

"There is a good reason." Now Sarutobi looked truly old. "I have failed you both, especially you, Tobirama-sensei. You entrusted that jutsu into my care, and because of my negligence, it fell into the hands of one of the dangerous traitors in Konoha's history, and one of my own students, Orochimaru. He left Konoha years ago, yet were it not for young Naruto, I would still be oblivious of his knowledge. As much as I hated it, and I swear by all I cherish, I do hate it, I decided that I could not allow that madman to use those that gave their lives for Konoha to destroy it, and Orochimaru hates Konoha enough to do so. For that reason I came to the conclusion that it would perhaps be a wiser choice to call you, so that until the crisis has passed..."

But Hashirama had connected the dots by himself already. "We cannot be summoned by the enemy."

Tobirama nodded. "It makes sense, and it seems reasonable, though we will want more information. But how will you explain our presence?"

Sarutobi sighed. "For now, not at all. The situation is delicate, and we cannot afford to be hasty. I decided to form a new group of Konoha's forces, just for those called back. It will be a small group, hopefully, comprised entirely of those that agree, of course, but I do believe we will be able to make the best of this mess."

Now Naruto spoke up. "And maybe we should get to this." He lifted two tags into the air.

Tobirama gave him a glare. "Don't get cocky brat. There is no chance in hell you will place slave-tags to us."

Naruto felt tears rise, but fought them down. It hurt being glared at by someone you idolized. "B-b-but those aren't slave-tags."

Kushina hugged him from behind, and soothingly patted his head. "Sh, sh, it's alright, they couldn't have known."

Naruto snuggled into her, before blushing and trying to act tough. "These tags are modified. You will remain in complete control of yourself, but your appearance will improve. You'll look just like when... well, when you were alive, except for the black scleras."

The two Hokage gave Sarutobi a questioning look, and he nodded. Tobirama lowered his head first, and Naruto carefully placed the tag.

A healthy color spread over the Senju's body. Hashirama looked at him. "And?"

His brother nodded. "It works. I feel better than before, and my body is under my control."

Hashirama lowered his head, and a few seconds later, the brothers looked like they had never even heard of death.

Sarutobi looked at them. "So, I assume you two agree to help?"

The two Hokages shared a glance, before nodding. Tobirama gave a rueful grin. "In a way, this entire mess is indirectly my fault, so the least I can do is help sort this mess out.

Hashirama nodded. "I also offer my help. Now that this issue is over, what exactly will we do?"

Sarutobi shrugged. "I must admit, the details aren't all ironed out yet, but you will be a group similar to Black-OPs. You answer only to myself, and as it will likely be unavoidable, your summoner."

Tobirama hit his brother in the ribs. "Won't this be strange, taking orders from little Sarutobi?" Hashirama nodded sagely.

Sarutobi had to chuckle, but tried to go on regardless."You will do high-risk-missions, and in some cases, like yours, Tobirama-sensei, work on the _Edo Tensei_, in hopes of finding a counter."

"And a perfected version." Kushina added. When she noticed all eyes on her, she cleared her throat, and added "Just for academic purposes."

"And who is she?" Hashirama asked.

Sarutobi sighed deeply. "Since we reached this point, perhaps I should just give you both the whole story. Let's see, it began..."

* * *

Chapter 3 is finished. Another chapter done, again with little to no action, but I feel that the groundwork needs to be done properly, or the story will suffer later on.

Many of my readers guessed correctly when they suggested reviving the Hokages, for obvious reasons. There will be more resurrected in due time, and I must thank Kishimoto for a change, since his introducing new characters by the truckload does allow me a wider range to pick from, and new ideas. On the other hand, I occasionally feel like strangling the guy, as I am impatiently waiting for him to finally reveal what Gaara's father can do. This may be a small spoiler, but I am confident that many of my clever readers would have suspected it anyways. I intend to have Orochimaru call Gaara's father back, amongst others, after realizing that he can't call the Hokages, but I don't know what he can do! It's quite annoying.

What's also distracting is that I get ideas for scenes that are so far in the future that it's practically pointless to think about them, as I can't even be sure if I manage to create a situation in which the scene would fit.

Now, on a different note, the heartwarming reunions between parent and child will have to wait for a while. Haka is top-secret right now, and will probably remain so for quite a while. And as to why Sarutobi wasn't surprised, the man wasn't born yesterday people. He half-expected Kushina to call them back, so his reaction was more resignation than surprise.

And to clear up a few things I got in reviews. First thing, the _Edo Tensei_ requires a living sacrifice, not a corpse, barring as a DNA-source. Second, should I decide to make a pairing with a resurrected, the first thing I'll do is make sure the corpse goes through something similar as Sai's brother, meaning that they will be completely annihilated, and when they reform, the original sacrifice's body won't. And the jutsu would be fine-tuned and advanced further before such a step is taken.

And some said that Kushina could help Naruto learn how to handle Kyuubi's power. In my opinion, Kushina is a terrible person to teach Naruto about jinchuuriki. She was chosen specifically because her chakra could suppress it best, and did you notice how the fox was crucified? It probably wouldn't have been able to supply Kushina with youki even if it wanted to, strapped down like that. Kushina was not working with the fox in any way, she was literally a mobile prison that didn't even let the smallest flicker of youki escape. She knows nothing of how to handle youki. And regarding the fox, it'll probably make an appearance soon.

Now, onto the Q&A

Q: Will the resurrected always stick close to Naruto?  
A: Not at all. They will take different missions, and Naruto will have very few watchers most of the time. In a real emergency, Naruto could just summon them.

Q: Will Naruto be able to use Kyuubi's youki? Will he get summons?  
A: The first, let's just say that Naruto and Kyuubi will get along a bit better than Kyuubi and Kushina, not that that's saying much. As for the summons, I'm actually still a bit unsure about that one. What's your opinion?

Q: Won't Naruto's usage of that jutsu disturb the cycle of death and rebirth?  
A: Yes. Yes it will. And there is nothing the Shinigami can do about it, or Kabuto would have been toast already.

Well, that's all for now, so

Please Review


	4. An unexpected Meeting

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

Hashirama sighed. "So to put it shortly, this boy was fooled into stealing the scroll, and of all the techniques there, he chose the _Edo Tensei_, using the one who tricked him to call back his mother, the last of the Uzumaki-clan, who in turn used the technique to call back her best friends, an Uchiha and a Hyuuga. I should be surprised, I really should be. But somehow, I'm not."

Tobirama grinned. "It must be because you know the Uzumaki well enough, looking at your bride. Mito did mention that you had a very amusing expression when she sealed the Kyuubi away."

Hashirama's brow twitched. "I was locked in deadly combat with my nemesis, then suddenly my wife-"

"Fiance at the time." Tobirama corrected, smirking.

"My wife-to-be shows up," Hashirama relented, his expression one of annoyance "jumps at the mightiest of the tailed beasts, right into its mouth. Then there's a flash of light, and Kyuubi's gone. I had every right to be baffled. Madara also looked pretty stupid, if I recall correctly."

-0-

Somewhere, a man wearing a mask with only a single eyehole sneezed. 'Why do I suddenly have the urge to both blush in embarrassment and punch something in frustration?'

-0-

Sarutobi looked at the scene with some amusement, the banter between the Senju-brothers having always been a source of great entertainment in his younger days. But now was not the time for such amusements. "Either way, Orochimaru is in possession of that jutsu, and we can't allow him to simply call himself an indestructible army with no counter. I heard Suna has something that could be used, but despite us being allies, I'd prefer the knowledge of this leak to remain as contained as possible." Then he turned to the second group before him. "Kushina, until further preparations can be made, do you think that you can allow the Namikaze-compound to be used as Haka's temporary headquarters?"

Kushina shrugged. "Well, the place is big enough, located far enough away from civilization to avoid direct notice yet close enough for a swift sortie, fairly well supplied, not that most of us would need that, seeing as we no longer require nourishment or rest, though the different weapons and other tools might be useful. Actually, if my old seal-chamber is still how I left it, then it would probably be the best place to work on our projects. Aside from the _Edo Tensei_, there are a few seals I'd like to add to our uniforms. However Sarutobi, I'm technically dead, so you should ask its legal owner, our summoner."

Sarutobi rolled his eyes. "Well then, Naruto, do you mind if your new home becomes Haka's temporary headquarters? Just until we can organize a more suitable location."

Naruto smiled happily. "I don't mind. The more, the merrier, right?" For a child who grew up completely alone, staying not only with his mother and the other nice women, but also two of his idols was like a dream come true.

Sarutobi nodded. "Then it's decided. I'll inform you if anything new comes up, but for now you all have to get out of here before someone sees you." The others nodded and turned to leave, when Sarutobi paused. "Oh, and Naruto. Don't forget your team-placings are in six days. Despite the unusual circumstances, you're still a genin, and the team is a fundamental part of Konoha's shinobi-system. I believe your mother will agree on the importance of a team, isn't that right, Kushina?"

The redhead glanced to her two best friends, who glanced back. They all smiled and nodded, before heading back to the compound, their new headquarters.

-0-

"Alright Naruto, I want to see where you stand in taijutsu, so we'll be having a small spar. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, you can't hurt me." Hikari explained.

They were back in the compound, on the training-field. Kushina had informed the others of how Naruto's learning was sabotaged, before retreating into the seal-chamber with Tobirama, locked in a fierce debate about seals, and what should and shouldn't be added to their uniforms.

As one of the greatest taijutsu-masters in the history of the elemental continent, being one of the few Hyuuga that had looked beyond their own Juuken, Hikari volunteered to test Naruto's capabilities in her field of expertise. She came with low expectations, but even so...

She leaned back slightly to avoid a sloppy kick, and when Naruto reared his fist for a punch, she caught the even sloppier hook and sent Naruto flipping through the air, gently catching him before he hit the ground.

"That's enough." She considered cuddling him a while more, but the situation was serious. Perhaps another time. She set him down "Naruto, be honest. You're self-taught, and your training-partner was a log, am I right?"

Naruto blushed, but nodded. "Nobody explained anything, and those I sparred with always beat me. I tried to copy what they did."

Hikari sighed. "As I thought. Naruto, I'll be honest. You need a lot of work." She was tempted to be blunt and say his taijutsu was miserable leaning towards abysmal, but she didn't want to hurt the little guy's feelings too badly. She'd bring him down gently. "Your body doesn't know what it's doing half the time, and you are broadcasting every attack. Your movements are wasteful, and you're not putting your bodies weight into your punches and kicks. We really have a lot of work to do. Now Mikoto will test you, then us girls will sit down and make a schedule that'll help you get strong in no time, alright?"

Naruto, who had shrank together under the, in his eyes, harsh judgment, smiled brightly and ran towards the waiting Uchiha, unaware of the frown appearing on the resurrected Hyuuga's face. 'He can take a lot of punishment and his stamina is through the roof, but the rest... I have my work cut out for me.'

-0-

After Mikoto sent Naruto in for lunch, she, Hikari, and Kushina, who had finally stopped pestering the Nidaime, sat together. Kushina looked at her friends. "Give it to me straight, how bad is it?"

Hikari spoke first. "Bad. It looks like he learned most of his taijutsu on his own, and what little was taught is obviously taught wrong. I have to start all over with him, and have to make him and his body forget the wrong movements. He's a tough little fella, and he has barrels of stamina, but that's pretty much all he has. He's at best a brawler instead of a real fighter."

Kushina grimaced, and looked at her other friend. "Mikoto?"

The former Uchiha-matriarch shrugged. "Well, compared to what I gathered, Naruto's not quite as far behind as in taijutsu. His chakra-control is abysmal, and that's putting it nicely, and the only jutsu he knows are the _Kawarimi_ and the _Henge_, but from what I gathered that's not much less than any first-generation shinobi knows. He can't do the _Bunshin_, but I think that's just because he's always overloading the technique. To say something nice, his chakra is through the roof. Probably because he's a jinchuuriki, but in my opinion, that makes chakra-control even more important."

Kushina nodded. "I don't want to get him started on fuinjutsu before he's at least decent in the other departments, so you two will be his main-trainers for the time, if you're okay with that. How much do you think you can do in the six days until the team-placements?"

Hikari shrugged helplessly. "I'm not a witch Kushina, I can't have Naruto unlearn and relearn all his taijutsu in a week. I can give him some pointers, get rid of the most glaring flaws maybe, but I'd need much more time to turn him into a proper fighter, especially since we first have to find out just what he's good at. No good teaching him something he might not be fast or flexible enough for, or something that doesn't use all his strengths."

Mikoto tapped her chin. "Well, as for me, before I can teach him much, his chakra-control needs to improve. If I get him started on tree-walking now, he'll probably be making his first steps on water before he leaves for the teams. I also want to see if he has any elemental affinities yet, and teach him a different clone-technique. With how much we have to do, I'm half considering teaching him the _Kage Bunshin_, just so he can keep up."

It was meant as a joke, but Kushina tapped her chin. "You know, that's really not such a bad idea. Thanks to the furball he has more than enough chakra, and unless he tries to have his clones read an entire library, then dispel at once, the mental overflow shouldn't be a problem, as the information pools before returning to the user, during which too similar information is discarded. That's the only way you can make more than five and not end up a veggie."

Mikoto rolled her eyes. "Yes Kushina, I know. Unlike you, I'm actually able to use that jutsu, remember?"

Kushina blew her cheeks. "Meanie. It's not my fault my chakra is too dense for most regular jutsu. I can't help that ninjutsu and genjutsu blow up in my face when I try them, limiting me to fuinjutsu, taijutsu, and the bit of kenjutsu I've picked up." Her voice had pitched, becoming an angry squeal towards the end, her disability with regular jutsu, which practically always ended with her coughing up smoke from the obligatory explosion when it overloaded, being a very sore spot.

"Yes," Hikari cheerfully chimed in "instead it's so dense that you can actually use it not only to bind energy-constructs like enemy-jutsu and bijuu, but you can even form it and then use it as a physical tool, which was supposed to be impossible. Remember Hiashi's face when you made a shield from chakra and he hit it face-first because he didn't know that it was solid?"

Against her will, Kushina had to laugh, joining her two friends in their amusement over the Hyuuga-clan's head. Hiashi's completely gobsmacked expression, complemented by his broken nose, which had made his face look like a pancake, had indeed been a hilarious sight. Making fun of the husbands had become almost a ritual amongst the three, though of course each woman was only allowed to bring up stories about her own husband. After all, it was not as if they wished to provoke each other.

After wiping the laugh-tears away, Kushina looked at her friends. "It's good to be together again. I missed you two."

"Aww," Hikari cooed, deeply touched. She had always been the most sentimental one of the three. "We love you too, Kushi-chan."

Mikoto simply nodded, enjoying the sight of her two best friends, which she had had to watch be buried, now back and joking. Two of the people she had loved more than life itself had been returned to her, and she was more than willing to help the one who made it possible out. "Agreed. And Kushina, you win. I'll teach Naruto the _Kage Bunshin_, then train chakra-control with them while Hikari whips the real him into shape."

Kushina pumped her fist into the air. "Dattebane! My son will be great in no time!"

Hikari and Mikoto exchanged glances, before they chuckled. "You still say that word, Kushi-chan?" Hikari asked.

Kushina blinked, then she reddened. "S-Shut up." She called out, before mumbling "I can't help it."

Mikoto laughed. "We know Kushi, we know. We're just messing with you. Now lets get your little boy up to an acceptable level, alright?"

-0-

Naruto tiredly fell into his bed. His day had been exhausting, even if it really hadn't been all that much.

After the initial testing, Mikoto-oneechan had come to him, and taught him a new jutsu. She had said that the reason why he could never make a clone that didn't instinctively make one want to put the poor thing out of its misery was that he had too much chakra, and was overloading the technique. Naruto had looked pretty confused, until she compared it with trying to water a pot-plant with a river. Suffice to say, he had been pretty surprised to hear that he was unknowingly 'drowning' his jutsu in chakra. She had then given him a different clone-technique, one that she claimed would be useful in his training, then promised him to teach something cool once Naruto managed to learn this technique, seeing that Naruto had not looked happy with having to go over clones, his worst subject.

It had taken him almost four hours, with forced breaks, but he managed to learn how to make solid clones, which in hindsight was actually kinda cool. He could do pranks while giving himself an alibi that not even Iruka-sensei would be able to crack, which was a great idea.

Then again, Iruka-sensei was a shinobi, so he probably knew that solid clones existed. Rats.

Still, after he'd learned it, Mikoto-oneechan had told him what the _Kage Bunshin_ were good for, what could be done with them and what should not be done with them, after which she took fifty clones and, as Naruto learned after they dispelled, drilled them in chakra-control, the leaf-floating exercise, to be precise, while Hikari-oneechan had called him over, and gave him simple instructions on how to throw a punch or kick to give maximum damage with minimal effort, after which she had showed him a few more 'basics' that according to her, he should have learned back at the academy.

It hadn't really been that much, but Naruto felt completely winded after the day's training was complete.

Still, it had been a happy day for Naruto. He had people that cared for him, that helped him train, and that acknowledged and accepted him the way he was. He had a family.

The door opened, and Kushina stepped in, smiling. "Hey sochi, I heard you had an exciting day." She sat down on his bed, and tucked him in.

Naruto grinned. "Uh-huh. Mikoto-neechan and Hikari-neechan said I was doing really well. Hikari-oneechan is a little strict, though."

Kushina's laugh turned slightly nervous as she remembered the Hyuuga's reaction to some of her pranks, and how she would mercilessly drill the 'Bloody Habanero' after she did something Hikari perceived as stupid. "Well, that's Hikari-chan. She can be like that, but she really does care. She just wants you to be as strong as possible before the teams are announced. Just think what faces your classmates would make when they see you beat the best."

Naruto's grin widened as he imagined effortlessly beating Sasuke. "That'd be really cool. Arrogant teme."

Kushina shook her head in amusement. "Now now, lets not get hasty, it'll still take some time. It's not just a matter of who trains you, but also how much training you have. You can't expect to get better than people that trained for years in just a week, a little more time is needed." Then she pumped her fist. "But my son will be the greatest, datteban- cough cough, never mind. Good night Naruto."

Naruto smiled happily. "Good night, mom."

She lowered her head and kissed his forehead. "Sweet dreams, sochi." She turned away, fighting back tears. This was the first time she had the chance to tuck her child in. She finally had her son back, she could really be with him. In life, she had had only minutes with her child, but now, even if twelve years had passed, she could finally be a real mother. None of her friends had had to make due with even close to as little time with their children, and she would be damned if she'd let anything stop her!

-0-

Naruto groggily opened his eyes. Where was he? It was dark and damp, though a little bit of illumination came from everywhere and nowhere, just enough to see. This looked just like a sewer, but how did he get here?

He looked at the tunnel in front of him. Something seemed to call him, an invisible force tugging at his mind to make him go that way. Unsure, but with no real alternatives, Naruto obeyed the call, landing in a large chamber. It's most defining feature was definitely the gigantic gate, held shut by what looked like a single tag of paper. Suddenly an eye, larger than Naruto, opened, a slitted pupil focusing on Naruto, surrounded by a crimson iris. _**"You came. Good."**_

The light increased, and Naruto found himself facing a giant fox. "Kyuubi." He muttered.

"_**Correct."**_ the fox replied.

Naruto took a calming breath. "What do you want? And where are we?"

"_**We are inside your mind."**_ Kyuubi calmly replied. _**"As for why you're here, I wished to talk to you."**_

Naruto gulped. "Alright, about what?"

Kyuubi grinned. _**"A proposition."**_

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "What could you possibly want with me?"

Kyuubi nodded. _**"You're right of course, as a human you have little to offer me. You are weak, and even if you wanted to you could not let me out. However, just recently, something changed. You changed from the despicable prison to a very interesting potential asset."**_

Naruto thought about what the fox could mean, then his eyes snapped open. "The _Edo Tensei_." He whispered.

The fox grinned, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs. _**"Yes. An impossibility. Mere humans stepping on god's terrain. To bring back something that by divine will was to be irreversibly lost. Through seals, the one field on which there is no mortal limit, no threshold, the one field nobody thought to place a glass-ceiling for humans to hit, mankind has created a miracle."**_

"And why do you care?" Naruto asked nervously. Was he really pissing off gods?

"_**Because I hate."**_ Kyuubi replied. _**"There are many things I hate. The Sage of the Six Paths. Madara Uchiha. Hashirama Senju. Mito Uzumaki. Minato Namikaze. The toads. Kushina Uzumaki. But more than anything else, I hate the Shinigami. He stole over two thirds of my power, and claimed the Namikize's soul in return, a violation of his own laws and rights. The **__Shiki Fuin__**, the contract with the Shinigami, works on a simple basis. A soul for a soul. He did not take my soul, merely my power. When I was sealed, he had nothing to do with it. By the ancient laws, he should have let the Namikaze go, or at least send him to the Pure World, and return my power to me. But he didn't, breaking ancient law. However, by doing so, he himself banished himself for at least a hundred years. For those hundred years, he may only appear when summoned, and only act as the contract permits, attack the user's target, and nothing else. He cannot prevent any misuse into his domain, death, nor is he permitted to later punish for any offense done in that timeframe. In other words, even though that jutsu of yours throws the Circle of Life and Death into chaos, all he can do is watch and fix the damage. His hands are tied, he can't stop what's making the damage, nor can he reverse what's done. He cannot touch you, otherwise he would have crushed you the moment you called back that accursed woman, who was my previous prison. You see, he has stolen from me, so I will ensure that he suffers for it!"**_

Naruto gulped. "And my part in this?"

Kyuubi smiled almost fondly. _**"You Naruto, are the key of my vengeance. Through you I will make him suffer. All I ask is that you call back many, many souls, I don't even care for what, and in return, I will give you what all other jinchuuriki can only dream of, my full support." **_Kyuubi seemed lost in thought for a moment, then it grinned. _**"In fact, I'll sweeten the deal even more for **__**you. Close by are the remains of two of my most loyal servants. I will give you command over **__**them."**_

Naruto bit his lip. It sounded tempting, but the possibility of an angry god after him did not sound too enticing. "And the Shinigami will just sit back and take it?"

Kyuubi smiled. _**"He has no other choice. The realm of the living is Kami's domain, the only power he has here is what she grants him. The Pure World is in Yami's control, he also means little there. All the Shinigami has dominion over are those who belong to him by contract. He is not the power of the afterlife, he is merely the guardian of death, the flow between the worlds. You could say he is in charge of the road the dead must walk to reach their destination, but that's it. The dead walking around in the living world, or a living person in the Pure World, those aren't really his problems, only that the process of this happening forces him to restore the order on the road of life and death. As for the other two, if Yami did not want you to call those from her domain, she would prevent it. If Kami did not want you to use it, she never would have made you learn it. That idea you had about looking through the scroll, that was her will guiding you."**_

Naruto blinked in confusion. "But if what you said was true, why would they want me to use something that causes so much havoc?"

Kyuubi shrugged, which was kinda odd, as Naruto had never known that foxes were capable of the gesture. _**"I don't know, I'm only a fragment of a god. But if I had to guess, I'd say Kami allows it because it was her law the Shinigami broke, and not for the first time, and Yami has always been whimsical. Rumor says that when the Nidaime invented the **__Edo Tensei__**, she gave him her permission to summon the deceased to protect him from the Shinigami, just because she wanted to see what happened. Eternal life can be quite boring, so my guess is that Kami and Yami are helping you for their own amusement. But back to the point, do we have a deal, or not?**__**"**_

Naruto weighed his options, kinda feeling like he was about to make a deal with the devil. Still, thinking about it, all Kyuubi was doing was offer her support if he did something that, realistically speaking, he probably would have done anyways. "You won't try to take over my body, or kill me, or otherwise trick me?"

Kyuubi nodded. _**"I will give you my chakra only when you ask, or truly need it. I will not take over your body without your permission, nor will I use it in a way that goes against your will or keep control longer than necessary. I will offer advice, but I will not deceive you. I will neither try to harm you nor arrange things that will lead to your harm."**_

Naruto chewed on his lip, then he reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Under those conditions I agree."

Kyuubi grinned evilly. _**"Excellent. Then let us make that accursed god wail in despair! We will hear from each other again soon, however, as agreed, I will give you the location of my servants' mortal remains. But now, it is time for you to wake."**_

The world blurred, and the last thing her heard was the fox's laughter of sadistic glee.

-0-

"Naruto. Naruto, wake up." Came a calm voice.

"Huh? Five more -mumble- minutes." The groggy boy muttered, turning to go back to sleep.

Hikari's brow twitched. Once. Then a sickeningly sweet smile spread on it. She had experience with situations like these. Kushina was just as bad. "No, now!" She declared sweetly as with a single tug she pulled off the sheets, actually sending Naruto flying through the air while spinning like a top, before the blond boy landed safely on the mattress.

"I'm up, I'm up!" He shouted frantically, noticing a bucket of water standing suspiciously close to his bed.

Hikari nodded. "Good. There are some stuff about Haka that must be discussed now. Also, Kushina and the Nidaime think they have some minor breakthrough in the _Edo Tensei_, and that will probably be tested out too. Kushi will probably go spare if we don't test out her newest stroke of 'brilliance'." Something about the way she said 'brilliance' made it sound like she had intended to say 'insanity', but caught herself. "You have three minutes to get dressed, we'll wait in the living-room." The gleam in her eyes made it clear she meant three minutes, zero seconds.

Doing the reasonable thing, Naruto hurried to get dressed.

-0-

When he barged into the room, Naruto sweatdropped. Kushina, Mikoto, the Senju-brothers, the Sandaime, and Hikari were sitting at the table, Hikari pressing a button on a stopwatch. "Very good Naruto, with ten seconds to spare."

Naruto laughed nervously, Hikari-oneechan had looked suspiciously disappointed. "So, why are we here?"

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Well, mainly because I felt it prudent to inform you on the progress of Haka's formation so far. Thankfully, due to the nature of most of its members, Haka has a very low need for funds. Some problems must still be ironed out, mainly a way to quickly reach key-positions, or simply to report, but I'm optimistic on that front. While Konoha is far from poor, circumstances make it nearly impossible to inconspicuously transfer larger amounts without reason, but I believe that Haka's income will be more than sufficient with the rewards from the missions they complete. It's standard in ANBU-missions that the identity of those who accomplished them is kept secret, even from other ANBU-members, and that the rewards are also given directly to ensure that they're untraceable, so filing Haka's missions under that clause will be no problem. Also, on the topic of new members, I've made a few inquiries, and thanks to the hospital we do have genetic material of all active shinobi, so in the case of a fatality amongst specific willing assets, recruitment would be possible. However, I'm aware that there may be some other kind of extraordinary situation, or that modifications of the _Edo Tensei_ must be tested, and that the current members may not be spared in tests of counters, so I made a few preparations."

He paused for a minute, gathering strength, before he continued. "It pains me greatly, but I checked with the Konoha-prison. As morbid as this may sound, Haka currently has a... well, a budget really, of five officially executed criminals. Kushina already brought them to the cellar and prepared their prisons. While they are here, you are responsible for their basic needs, that includes the costs. I need not say that this is a sign of my trust, and that I hope none of you will disappoint me in this. You will understand that for all _recruitment_ done in Konoha, I wish to be present."

Kushina nodded. "We understand. In fact, Tobirama and I have worked on something we needed to test, so we'll use up one of them directly." After catching an annoyed glare from said man, she flashed the group a grin. "He was originally against the idea, but I managed to convince him."

"I said it before, I'll say it again, insanity is hereditary in that clan." Tobirama muttered quietly.

Naruto raised a hand. "Sorry, but this is important. I just had a talk with the Kyuubi, and it's given me the location of two corpses that I may find useful. I'm not sure what to make of it, but there is a chance the offer is genuine, right?"

Utter pandemonium followed that statement.

* * *

Chapter 4 is done. Took forever, but I have lots to do right now. Not that much happening yet, but patience please, I'm setting the groundwork here.

Well, no new summons, but there will be three next chapter. Any guesses?

Oh, and Sarutobi's explanation focused on how Naruto learned the _Edo Tensei_, not the entire past. The fact that he's the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was only briefly mentioned in favor of how Mizuki ended up giving his all for a good cause. There will be appropriate outrage of the treatment at a later point of time.

And since someone mentioned it, no, Kabuto explicitly stated that the death of the summoner does not end the summon, in fact, all it would do would make the technique impossible to cancel.

Regarding the Kyuubi, I never really understood why the shinigami took Minato. According to the description, it's always two souls that are taken together, who are then locked in eternal combat inside the Death God's stomach. How exactly is just a mass of Kyuubi's power supposed to put up any kind of fight? Personally his reaction looked more like 'Oh, I failed to seal the Kyuubi. Oh well, no reason not to grab a souvenir before I leave.' Granted, Minato's expectations aside, the shinigami had been called to solve the Kyuubi-problem, and he failed. Kyuubi was weakened , but it was both there and had enough strength to kill Naruto's parents. I added that about Kami and Yami because I don't want to give too much influence over a god Naruto is about to seriously antagonize. After all, he's the god of DEATH, not AFTERLIFE.

This chapter was a little slow, but necessary. After all, Haka is not some chess-club that meets in an apartment, but an organization with a high potential for recruitment and a low potential for fatalities, crippling injuries or retirement is remarkably low, that needs much work. Hierarchies must be done, since there will be little on paper for the rest of the village Haka must keep their own files, everything must be organized, food for prisoners, equipment and other things swallow money without a budget, lines of communication must be established, there is much to do before Haka is a group as functional as the ANBU, especially since the members are, whether voluntarily or not, significantly closer to each other, meaning that everyone will have more of a neighbor/family-relationship than one between colleagues, and every new member is bound to be some change in the dynamics. So please bear with me. There will be plenty of action, but I need some groundwork done first.

And no, Naruto will not become super-awesome in a week. By the time he's done with the pre-team training, his level won't be ANBU or kage, it'll be decent genin-level, with perhaps one or two high-power low-control jutsu if Mikoto is kind enough.

Now, onto the Q&A

Q: Why didn't Mikoto notice Madara? Why did she die if she's so strong? And why could Naruto call more summons than Orochimaru?  
A: Naruto could summon more because Orochimaru didn't prepare more sacrifices. Look what Kabuto can do, Orochimaru would have managed, but he apparently either didn't want or not get the idea. As for Mikoto, she died because she let herself die. She had little to live for, and couldn't bear the thought of killing Itachi, one of the two things she still lived for, just to continue her empty existence. As for Madara, he simply never entered their house, she didn't see him. Small spoiler here, Madara purposefully kept it that way.

Q: If Naruto can't control his summons, couldn't one of them try to kill him?  
A: Perhaps I misphrased that. Due to the altered tag the summons are in control of themselves, and not mindless monsters, but for one thing, that tag will be altered for the summoner's protection, and second, just because they're mindless dolls doesn't mean that Naruto has no control over them. He can't erase their wills, but in a bind, he could force a paralysis. There is a connection between Naruto and his summons, and that connection gives him a little leeway, even if he doesn't use it.

Q: If Kushina never used Kyuubi's power, where did Minato see the _bijuudama_ that he based the _Rasengan_ on?  
A: Do remember, the man gained his reputation in WAR. Do you really think there was not a single jinchuuriki running around on the enemy-lines?

Q: Why did Mikoto and Hikari agree with the Hokage's judgment against meeting their children so readily?  
A: For one thing, they understand the need for secrecy. On the other hand, he said no. If those two had put up a big fuss, he would've kept a close eye on them. With their agreement, it may be easier to find a few occasions, if needed.

Finally, I hardly dare ask, but should I continue this story?

That's all for today folks, you know the drill:

Please Review


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